peripheral

The thing I don’t like about cordless mice that you have to charge is that they take so long to get a full charge typically. I always forget to plug them in and end up with no mouse for a long time while it charges back up. I generally like wireless mice that use normal batteries better, but if you run out of batteries, you are in trouble. Genius has a new mouse that is perfect for those that like to be green and not use throwaway batteries, yet want something that charges faster too.

During this last week at CES 2012, an absolute massacre of running, typing, snatching quick snacks, tripping over wires, smashing into walls, and most importantly, transferring electronics in and out of my rucksack of choice, I've got to say one thing about the Powerbag Business Class Pack: I've never seen another backpack keep all the pieces separate and organized the way this one does so very successfully. It's almost like the fact that this sack has a rechargeable battery in the bottom of it is a bonus feature, that's how much I've enjoyed using it to tote my devices through Las Vegas. The 6,000 mAh battery certainly does add frosting to the cake, also, when it comes down to it.

Das Keyboard is preparing to offer Mac users its Model S Professional mechanical keyboard, which promises to deliver the ultimate typing experience, especially for those nostalgic of the legendary Apple Extended and Extended II keyboards. The Model S offers the same great clicky feel but with more advanced features and a slick new design.

Gaming peripherals maker SteelSeries has outed a new device called the SteelSeries Ion Bluetooth controller that's designed to enhance the gaming experience on smartphones and tablets. There are increasingly more console quality games heading to mobile, but the touch controls on handsets and tablets don't provide the same feel of a physical game controller.

Logitech knows it would be letting us down if it didn't have a new webcam for CES, and so there's the HD Pro Webcam C920 with Full HD 1080p Skype support to reassure us. Offering 20-step autofocus and Carl Zeiss optics, the C920 also packs twin microphones for stereo audio recording with automatic noise reduction.

Logitech has revealed its latest mouse, the Logitech Cube, and it seems someone in the peripheral company's design has been left with nothing but a ruler to design it. A palm-sized box doubling as a mouse and a wireless presentation controller, automatically switching between the two when you lift it off the desk, the Cube's entire top surface is a touch-sensitive scroll pad.

The HP pre-CES gush wraps up today with a trio of new displays, the HP Compaq L2311c 23-inch Notebook Docking Monitor along with the LV1911 and LV2011 LED Backlit LCD Monitors. Of the three it's the L2311c that's the most interesting, using a single USB connection to add a second display to your laptop along with a USB 3.0 hub, webcam and more.

iPad and iPhone gaming hasn't exactly proved reluctant to take off, but if you've been waiting for a straightforward control pad then the 60beat GamePad might fit the bill. A $49.99 peripheral compatible with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, iPad and iPad 2 and the iPod touch 4th-gen, the GamePad hooks up via the headphone socket rather than the docking connector.

Microsoft has outed a new keyboard, the Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000, targeted at mobile professionals hoping to do some serious text-entry on their iOS, Android or Windows tablets. On sale later this month, the wireless peripheral offers the hardware division's familiar Comfort Curve design along with low-profile keys and a few helpful shortcuts such as volume.